Breakdown of Ich brauche das Mischpult, an dem du gerade arbeitest.
ich
I
du
you (informal singular)
arbeiten
to work
brauchen
to need
an
at, on (vertical) / to (addressee) / of (in quantity/stock expressions)
gerade
just / just now
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
dem
whom / which (dative relative pronoun; forms: dem, der, denen)
das Mischpult
the mixing desk
Questions & Answers about Ich brauche das Mischpult, an dem du gerade arbeitest.
Why do we use an dem at the start of the relative clause?
It translates to 'at which'. The verb arbeiten (to work) pairs with the preposition an + dative to mean working 'at' or 'on' something. Since Mischpult is a neuter noun (das Mischpult), its dative relative pronoun is dem. Together, they form an dem.
Can I leave out an dem like we leave out 'that' or 'which' in English?
No, you can never drop the relative pronoun in German. Even if the English translation says 'the mixing desk you are working at' instead of 'the mixing desk at which you are working', German strictly requires the relative pronoun to connect the clauses.
Why is the verb arbeitest at the very end of the sentence?
The second part of the sentence is a relative clause, which is a type of subordinate clause. A major rule of German grammar is that in subordinate clauses, the conjugated verb (here, arbeitest) gets pushed to the very end.
Doesn't gerade mean 'straight'? Why is it in this sentence?
While gerade can mean 'straight' (like a straight line), it is very commonly used as an adverb to mean 'currently', 'just', or 'right now'. Here, it emphasizes that the work is happening at this exact moment.
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